Three Years
by Emilamoo
Summary: Shelby Corcoran hasn't been on a date in three years. Will Schuester wants to change that fact, but Emma Pillsbury won't let him go without a fight. AU and OOC at times Shell fic. Rated for language and some minor-medium adult themes, but nothing too bad.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, for the record, this is my first Glee fic. And I'd like to point out that I've only seen a few episodes of the show, so if the characters aren't exactly true to themselves, I'm very sorry- especially if I offend someone by having the characters by way OOC or something.**

**This is AU because in this story, Rachel and Shelby are really mother and daughter. Rachel lives with Shelby during the weekdays, and they have a regular relationship like any other mother and daughter. Shelby still works with Vocal Adrenaline. Will's been divorced from Terri for only a couple of months. And at first, Shelby seems to hate Will with a passion even though she really doesn't.**

**Little trivia for you! You all know that Idina Menzel was the original (and best, in my opinion) Elphaba in the Broadway **_**Wicked, **_**right? Well, in the book that the Broadway was based off of, Elphaba has a little brother. And guess what his name is? Shell. How awesome is that?**

**Anyways, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters.**

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**Three Years**

"What do you _mean _you want to break up with me?" Emma cried shrilly, her eyes wide.

"I mean just that," Will told her gently. "Look, Emma… you're a great girl and everything, but you're just not the right girl for me."

Emma fixed a crooked pencil on his desk. "I just… I don't get it. Everything was going so well. I mean, I know we have our problems as a couple, but can't we try to work them out or fix them? Please, Will!"

He shook his head. "It's not just that. I'm sorry, but I just don't have the same feelings for you as I did in the beginning. I'm not sure if I really every truly had them at all."

She looked up at him, shocked. "No, no. Don't say that. You don't mean that."

She sunk down into a chair.

"Yes, I do mean it." He leaned down on his knees next to her and placed a hand hesitantly on her back. "I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

She buried her head in her hands. "Is it the non-exsistant sex? Because I don't know... I may be able to reconsider..."

"No, it's not about the sex. I just don't want to be romantically involved with you."

After a few tense moments, she composed herself and stood up. "Well, I must be going."

She turned and headed for the door.

"We can still be friends, right?" Will called after her.

Emma froze. Slowly, she turned around, stared icily into his eyes, and said, "Don't count on it."

* * *

"Hey, Mom?"

Shelby poked her head into her daughter's eerily pink room. "Yeah, Rach?"

"Can we order Chinese tonight? I invited a… friend over."

"Sure, that sounds fine. I don't feel like cooking today anyway," she said, chuckling lightly. She walked in and sat down on Rachel's bed next to her daughter. "Just out of curiosity, which friend is coming?"

Rachel paused. She had been hoping Shelby wouldn't ask until he showed up. She bit down on her bottom lip nervously before speaking.

"Um, actually, it's my Glee Club teacher Mr. Schue."

Shelby was frozen with alarm. "W-what?"

Rachel took her mother's hand. "Look, I know you and Mr. Schue are rival coaches and all, but he's a really nice guy. I think you'd like him a lot if you go to know him. Plus, he looked really upset about something. I had to do something to cheer him up."

_*Flashback*_

"_Mr. Schue? Mr. Schue? Hello? Earth to Mr. Schue… Will!"_

_Will shook out of his funk and looked in disbelief at Rachel, who was standing in front of him impatiently with her hands on her hips. "Did you just call me by my first name?"_

"_Well… yes, but only because you weren't answering to Mr. Schue."_

_He looked at the ground and frowned. "Oh. Sorry. Can I help you, Rachel?"_

_She took a closer look at her teacher and noticed that he looked distant, distracted, and upset. "Are you okay?"_

_He smiled a faux smile. "Yeah, Rachel. I'm fine. So what's up?"_

_An idea popped into the young girl's mind."Well, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner at my house tonight. You look a little lonely. Besides, you're already like family to me."_

_Will pondered this for a moment. Would her mother be at the dinner? He hadn't seen Shelby in a while- at least not outside of a competition- and he had to admit that he wanted to see her. _

_He smiled. "Sure."_

_Rachel beamed. "Great! I'll see you at my house at seven. Don't be late."_

_*End of Flashback*_

"So you invited him to dinner with us?" Shelby asked incredulously.

"I don't see why you're freaking out about this so much, Mom. I mean, it's not like he sabotaged Vocal Adrenaline or something. It's just a family-like dinner. Can't you just put your rivalry aside and try to enjoy yourself?" Rachel reasoned.

The rivalry wasn't why Shelby didn't want Will to come over, however. It was the fact that she had made out with him when they had first met and she didn't know that he was married _and _seeing someone. When she found out about the other women, she told him to figure it out and get it together. She had made out with her daughter's teacher. How awkward and scandalous was _that? _

But she also thought Will was cute. Really cute. And he had a great body. She wouldn't ever admit it to anyone, but she had had a little crush on him ever since the day they met.

She tipped her dead downward, hoping her daughter didn't see the slight flush on her face when she thought about her and Will's hot make out session. "But… but he's your, um, teacher."

Pathetic excuse, she knew.

Rachel frowned. "So? Students have their teachers over for dinner with their families all the time. There's nothing weird about it. Please, Mom?"

"Oh, all right," Shelby gave in, sighing.

Her daughter hugged her. "Thank you! You won't regret it, I promise. It's just that Mr. Schue has done so much for me, and he looked so down today. I had to do something, and dinner was the least I could do. It's my chance to repay him."

"Okay, sweetie."

* * *

There was still about an hour and a half until Will came over. Shelby was in her room, frantically thinking about what to wear. She knew she was extremely good looking, but which look would be the most appealing for a family dinner? She couldn't wear anything that showed cleavage because of Rachel. No, that was out of the question. That eliminated about one third of her wardrobe. After a bit of pacing, she stopped.

_Why the hell am I freaking out about what to wear? It's just Will, _she thought to herself. _I don't care what he thinks about my looks; I don't care about impressing him. Do I? No, I don't. He's just a guy. An irritating, rivaling, confused, extremely hot- wait, how'd that get in there?- guy. And it's a _family _dinner. It's not like it's a date or anything. He probably doesn't even know that I'm going to be there anyway._

Yet, an hour later, Shelby remained where she had started out, still staring at her clothes. There was a knock on her door. She opened it slightly. Rachel's eyes widened.

"Mom, _what _are you doing in only a bath robe? Mr. Schue can't see you in that! There's only half an hour until he comes over. And we still have to buy the food!" She stopped babbling for a second and looked at her mother suspiciously. "Wait, didn't you get out of the shower an hour ago? What have you been doing this whole time?" She peered into the room and gasped. "Mom, you've been trying to choose an outfit? For _over an hour? _It's just a _dinner._" All of the sudden she began to grin like a lunatic. "Oh my gosh, do you like Mr. Schue?"

Shelby's mouth dropped open slightly. "What? No! Preposterous!" she sputtered, shaking her head vigorously. "And as for the food issue, just order the food and have them deliver it."

"Don't you change the subject on me, missy. You totally like Mr. Schue! Why else would you freak out when I told you he was coming and take over an hour to decide what to wear?"

"We are not having this discussion, young lady," Shelby said, starting to close the door. She looked at Rachel. "For the record, I do not like my rival coach. I loathe him. I detest him." Rachel cocked an eyebrow. "Okay, so maybe I don't loathe or detest him, but I most certainly do not _like _him. Now go and order the food."

Rachel opened her mouth to protest. "But-"

"_Goodbye, Rachel._"

"Fine."

She huffed and turned to walk downstairs.

Shelby sighed and turned back to the problem at hand. She finally settled on a medium length, full-sleeved, flowy black dress with practically no neckline. It was casual yet elegant, made with thin material, and complimented her figure nicely. She also wore emerald earrings, black strapped sandals, and a silver necklace with an emerald pendant that rested just below her chest.

She blow-dried her hair, applied some gray eye shadow and a little bit of lipstick, and walked downstairs.

Rachel was sitting at the table, waiting for the food to arrive. She looked up at her mother approaching and smiled.

"Wow. You sure look nice and fancy."

Shelby gestured to Rachel's sleeveless, pale yellow sundress. "Yeah, well, I saw what you were wearing and decided that I should wear something pretty too."

"Mmm-hmm. I'm sure that's the reason."

"Rachel, listen to me. I'm tired of this. I do not like your teacher, okay? He just divorced his wife."

Rachel saw how serious she was and nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Plus, he's supposedly seeing Emma Pillsbury…"

Shelby couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed, but she couldn't let Rachel see that. Instead, she nodded.

"Exactly."

The doorbell rang. Shelby answered it. It was the Chinese food delivery boy. She paid him and walked to the kitchen to dish up the meals. The doorbell rang again shortly after. She ran to get it, but Rachel raced and beat her to the punch.

"Hey, Mr. Schue!" she chirped brightly.

Will instantly saw Shelby, who was frozen dead in her tracks. He couldn't help but notice how great she looked.

"Hi, Rachel. I didn't realize your mother would be here."

"Oh, well, yeah. She is."

"Hi, Shelby," he greeted.

She forced a small, somewhat awkward (yet totally cute to Will) smile. "Hi, Will."

She turned around and headed for the kitchen.

"Come in," she heard Rachel say. "Oh, and Mom spent over an hour debating what to wear, FYI. Between you and me, I think she was trying to impress you."

"Rachel!" Shelby shouted, horrified.

"Oh, did she now?" Will asked, smiling.

Shelby suddenly became very interested in the Chinese food.

"Yeah, she did," Rachel said, grinning.

"Well I think she looks fantastic," Shelby heard Will say loudly.

She groaned internally. It was going to be a long night.

**TBC**

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**There you go. That's the first chapter. I'd love to hear what you thought of it, but like I said, this is my first Glee fic, so please try not to kill me too badly… ahaha. I'll try to update regularly, but I just finished the 6th chapter and am at a minor (or major, I haven't decided yet) writer's block.**

**Oh, and I stink at describing things, so I have a link for the dress Shelby wore. I think it's pretty, and I really think it'd look great on her.**

**Here's the link for Shelby's dress: www (dot) blogcdn (dot) com/www (dot) stylelist (dot) com/blog/media/2008/12/banana-republic-flutter-sleeve-tie-waist-dress,-$79 (dot) jpg**


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter's a little (or maybe a lot, depends on what you're used to reading) on the long side, so bear with me. I hope you like it anyway. Hopefully it'll make up for writing "Golden Star" instead of the next chapter to this. Oh, and before I forget, thanks to all who reviewed that.**

**Warning(s): Shameless fluff and OOC-ness is sure to ensue. I can't really help myself. :3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters. If I did, I wouldn't have to write Shell fanfiction as if Idina will ever come back to the show, which we all know will most likely not happen.**

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**Three Years**

Will sat down at the table and looked at Rachel. "Thanks for inviting me over. That was nice of you."

"Oh, it's no problem. We're happy to have you here, aren't we Mom?"

Shelby smiled angrily. "Oh yeah. I'm ecstatic. Absolutely bursting with glee."

She plopped some chicken lo mein on Will's plate, and he smiled up at her.

"Why thank you, Shelby. To be honest, I felt the same way when I saw that you were here."

She looked away, coughing embarrassedly and praying silently not to blush. She couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious, but either way, something stirred deep inside her. It was something she hadn't felt for years.

She served Rachel and herself before sitting down.

"So, Rachel, are you thinking about where you want to go to college?"

Rachel paused thoughtfully and shrugged a little. "I'm not quite sure yet. I'm thinking about Juilliard."

"Ah, great choice. You'd go far there, and you definitely have enough talent to make it in. I'm sure you'd excel their expectations." He looked at Shelby, who was messing with her food. "I hear your mother's pretty good at singing, too."

"Oh yeah, she's amazing!"

Shelby continued to look at her plate, twirling some of the noodles with her fork. "I'm not half bad," she mumbled modestly.

Will lowered his head a bit, trying to catch eye contact with her, but she refused to look at him. "I'd love to hear you, Shelby."

She snorted. When everyone remained silent, she finally looked up. Her eyebrows knitted together.

"Oh, wait, you were serious?"

Will nodded. "Yeah, I was. I'd love to hear your voice."

"You can hear my voice now just fine."

He rolled his eyes. "I mean your _singing _voice, but you already knew that."

She put down her fork and looked at him. "I'm not sure if you got this when I answered you indirectly, but I'll say it more straightforward this time. I'm not going to sing for you. Not at dinner, not at a competition, not anywhere. Not now, not tomorrow, never. There. Did that manage to get through your thick skull?"

Rachel's jaw dropped at her mother's blunt rudeness. "Mom!"

"What?"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Schue-"

"No, that's absolutely fine," Will told her, staring directly at Shelby. "It's obvious your mother has some serious confidence issues she needs to get over."

_Confidence issues? _she thought furiously. _God, that's a joke._

The rest of dinner went by slowly or at least too slowly for Shelby's liking. Rachel and Will mainly talked the whole time, and Shelby preferred it that way. Will reminisced his high school years to Rachel, and after, she asked him about his most embarrassing moment.

"Ah, that might take a while to think about. Well… ah, in my senior year, I had the lead in my school play. My friend had dared me before the beginning of opening night to drink a full 6-pack of Red Bull. Not able to ever turn down a dare, I agreed. Not only was I jumping off the walls like crazy, but I seriously had to go to the bathroom. By the time it was intermission, I was in jeopardy of losing it. The minute the curtain went down, I dashed off.

"When I returned, I saw that everyone in the audience looked really disgusted. A few people looked at me and giggled. A few people looked at me and giggled. I asked my friend what happened. He just howled with laughter and pointed to my microphone headset. Turns out I had left it on and everyone could hear me relieving myself."

Rachel looked absolutely petrified with horror and disgust. Shelby was the one who surprised everyone- including herself- by snorting and beginning to giggle.

Will pretended to be annoyed even though he was secretly pleased to have made her laugh. She looked really cute when she was laughing.

"Find something funny, Shelby?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. It's just…seems like something you'd do," she fibbed, unwilling to admit that she simply found his story entertaining and funny.

He sighed.

"So, um, Mr. Schue," Rachel cut in, smiling mischievously, "what was the most scandalous thing you did in high school?"

He blushed. "Um, in sophomore year, I had a thing for my math teacher. I made a move on her, and she flipped out and transferred to a different school."

"Mr. Schue!" Rachel gasped.

"What? She was just so sex- er, good looking. She had great cheekbones, an amazing jaw line, long, wavy, dark hair, and one of the best figures I've ever seen. Actually, now that I think about it, she looked a lot like your mom."

Shelby's cheeks flamed up in anger and a heated blush. Why did he insist on being so damn flirtatious with her? Wasn't he aware that he was silently killing her?

"Well you're nothing but a huge flirt, aren't you?" she asked hotly.

Will frowned. He had meant to compliment her somewhat subtly, but it seemed that it had the exact opposite effect on her. He quickly recovered though.

"I guess so."

But she wasn't listening. She was only staring at his lips. His really soft lips. The very same lips that had kissed her lips and neck hungrily when they first met. God, what she wouldn't give for that again…

"Shelby? Shelby?"

She snapped out of it and looked up. "Hmm, what?"

"Mr. Schue just asked you what _your _most scandalous moment was," Rachel informed her.

"Oh, that's easy. Wait, I don't think I should say. It's not exactly... appropiate to discuss."

"That's okay, Mom. I can handle it."

Will nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'd really like to hear about it, too."

Shelby frowned hesitantly. "Well, okay. But don't say I didn't warn you. It was junior year. Derrick Cramer was the hottest senior. He was known for breaking girls' hearts. He went out with my friend, and when she caught him cheating, she was absolutely devastated. So I decided to get back at him.

"I wore a sleazy outfit and flirted heavily with him at a party. He responded, seeming to like me enough, and I maneuvered him outside and away from the party. When we were deep into the woods behind the house, I commanded he take off his clothes."

Rachel began to get uneasy, and Will was starting to sweat- whether with nervousness or because he was getting slightly turned on, he couldn't tell- but she continued.

"He was pretty buzzed, so he did. I tied him tightly to a tree, took a picture of me next to him with my tongue out KISS style and a rock out hand symbol, grabbed his clothes, and took off running. I heard him call after me, but I got the heck out of that party.

"The next day, I hung up his underwear on his locker along with the picture and a note that said, _'Looking for these? That's what you get for screwing with my friend's heart. Don't go near us ever again. Yeah, stick that in your juice box and suck it. Luff, Shelby.' _Everybody saw it, and I got suspended. It was worth it, though, because he never bothered me or my friends again."

Both Rachel and Will gaped at her.

"Wow," was all that Will managed to say.

"You asked."

"Who wants to play charades?" Rachel asked, feeling extremely awkward and eager to change the subject.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about charades?" Shelby asked.

"Why not? It'd be fun. It's no fun when you only play one-on-one. Please?"

"I wouldn't mind a round of charades either," Will chimed in.

She shot a glare at him. "Of course you wouldn't. Oh, fine."

"Thanks Mom! I'll go get the charade cards."

She ran off, and Will and Shelby were left alone.

"Why do you hate me so much?" he asked suddenly.

She looked at him with surprise. "I- I never said I hated you."

"You didn't have to. It's pretty obvious that you do. I mean, you're mean to me. You treat me like I stole Jesse from Vocal Adrenaline away from you forever."

"We're rival show choir group coaches. We have to be mean to each other."

"No we don't. I'm not mean to you."

She looked away. "Well that's your choice."

"You know what I think?" he asked, standing up and crossing the room until he stood directly in front of her.

She bit back a gulp. "I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

"I think you're attracted to me," he told her in a low voice. "You use your hate as a cover up."

She struggled to slow down her racing pulse. "Y-you're full of it," she lied through her teeth. "I am not attracted to you."

He got on his knees in front of her chair. "You sure seemed like it when we made out."

"Oh, please. We were just horny and lonely like a bunch of teenagers, that's all. And you know that."

He trailed his thumb down her jaw and looked her in the eyes. "Are you sure about that?"

She nodded as casually as she could. "Absolutely positive."

He leaned closer, his eyes smoldering. "Swooning yet?"

She put on her best poker face, something that she had learned from years of great acting, and frowned. "You're going to have to try a lot harder than that to swoon me, William Schuester."

She flashed him a hard smile and walked into the living room. He frowned.

_Hmm, my mistake, _he thought to himself. _Maybe she really _isn't _attracted to me like I thought. Either that or she's a really good actress._

When he got into the living room, Rachel was already drawing out her first card. Shelby sat on the couch. He sat in the chair facing her. He tried to read her expression, but it was no use. She was too busy looking at Rachel. He turned his attention to the young woman. She was making a motion of a film camera.

"Movie," Shelby said.

She nodded, and then held up two fingers, then one.

"Two words," Will added. "First word."

Rachel paused in concentration, then ran and grabbed a mini American flag. She pretended to stick it in the ground and then held up her arms as if in victory.

"The US?" Will guessed.

She shook her head and flipped a nearby calendar until the month of July. She pointed to the 4.

"4th of July?" Shelby wondered. "Independence? Freedom?"

Rachel nodded excitedly, and then held up two fingers.

"Second word."

She took out a fake pencil and began to write in the air.

"Writing?" Will pondered, confused.

"Writers! Freedom Writers!" Shelby cried.

"Yes!" Rachel told her, nodding happily and giving her a quick hug. "Your turn."

She reached down and drew out a card. _Eeyore, _it read. She frowned. Could it have been any harder? She turned around and smiled animatedly.

"Happy?" Will guessed.

She shook her head.

"Glee? Excitement?" Rachel tried.

Shelby shook her head and left the room. She returned shortly after carrying a newspaper. She pointed to the comics section.

"Comics? Cartoons!" Will shouted.

She snapped, pointed at him, and nodded. Then she held up one finger.

"One word. Okay."

She got on her hands and knees and tried her best to look grumpy, hanging her head down low.

"Dog? Scooby Doo?"

Shaken head. Nope.

"Cat? Garfield?"

Shaken head. Nada.

"A horse? Spirit?"

Shelby groaned. She got up, ran out, and came back with a pin and a furry cat tail from one of Rachel's old Halloween costumes. She put the pin in the tail and guided it to her rear.

"Pin… tail… pin the tail on the donkey?" Rachel wondered aloud.

Shelby smiled, nodded, and ran back out. This time she came back with a bottle of honey in a bear-shaped bottle.

"Honey? Bear? Smokey the Bear!" Rachel guessed.

She shook her head again.

"Bear who likes honey? Cartoon… Winnie the Pooh!" Will shouted, snapping his fingers. "Donkey tail… Eeyore! Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh!"

"That's it!" Shelby told him, grinning.

"High-five!" he said, grinning.

She hesitated for a second before reluctantly slapping his hand with hers. His fingers curled around hers for a brief second. Both glanced down at their linked hands before looking up and meeting each others eyes. They locked eyes. Almost immediately, they both let go, looking away.

"It's your turn," Shelby mumbled.

"Uh, yeah."

He reached for a card. _Romeo and Juliet. _Oh. Joy. He turned around and folded his hands together. He opened them up, closed them, and opened them again.

"Book," Rachel said. He nodded and drew his fingers around in a heart. "Romance."

He thought quickly and spotted what he needed. He sat next to Shelby, and- without thinking- he pulled her by the shoulders close to him until she was flush against her. She let out a short gasp of surprise. Their faces were mere inches apart.

"What are you-?" she whispered.

He cut her off by placing his index finger on her lips to shush her. They were so close that she could feel his breath fall on her face. Gazes flickered to lips and back to eyes.

But then Will remembered what he was doing.

And just like that, he was gone. He pulled himself away, holding out his hand to her dramatically, as if someone was tearing him away from her and he was trying desperately to hold on. He then took two hands and acted out plunging a dagger into his chest and committing suicide.

"…Romeo and Juliet?" Rachel guessed, raising her eyebrows.

"That's correct!"

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, Mr. Schue. As horrible as an act that was, that was just too easy."

He smiled. "Hey, you gotta play the card you were given."

They each played three more cards each. Shelby loosened up and didn't say one rude or mean thing the rest of the night. She and Will got along easily, goofing around and even flirting a bit. Before they knew it, it was 11:30 at night.

"Oh, wow, it's getting late. I should get going," Will told them, standing up.

"I'll walk you out," Shelby volunteered.

"Okay. See you, Rachel. And again, thanks for inviting me over."

Rachel smiled. "No problem, Mr. Schue."

Outside on their porch, Will turned to Shelby.

"I'd like to thank you, Shelby. I know you didn't really want me here at first, but I want you to know that I had a really good time. Honestly."

Shelby looked at the ground somewhat shyly. "Good. I'm glad. I had a lot of fun, too." She smiled. "To tell you the truth, I'm actually happy you came. And, uh, I don't hate you." She looked up at him, the smile slipping off her face and her eyes meeting his. "I never did."

"I know," he told her quietly.

After a few seconds of staring at each other, he pulled her into a hug. She was frozen at first- mainly from surprise- but she returned the hug. A little while passed before he pulled away and smiled at her.

"I'll see you soon, Shelby."

She watched him walk away, climb into his car, and drive off. She smiled a little and then went back inside. Little did she know that someone was watching her from across the street.

"Ah, so this is the little whore who stole Will away from me," Emma Pillsbury seethed. "All right then. It's on."

**TBC**

**So whaddya think? Please review, but don't review _just_ to tell me how OOC it was, cuz I already know that. I wrote it. And if you don't like OOC-ness, then don't read this. Just saying. I don't mean to be rude or anything, but um... yeah. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the reviews! Yay that Idina's coming back to Glee. :) So happy. And she's not the VA coach anymore, so maybe she'll be a love interest for Will now that Emma's with her dentist...? Who knows, there's always hope.

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**Three Years**

Emma ran up to the mysterious woman's mailbox and reached inside. She let out a little squeak of excitement when she found a letter inside. She looked at the return address. _Shelby Corcoran. _Wait a minute. Shelby Corcoran. Emma knew that name. Ah yes, she was the coach of Vocal Adrenaline, New Directions rivals. What the hell was Will doing with his rival coach? Sure, the woman looked somewhat pretty, but really? He left _her _for that… that _slut_? Arguh, the nerve!

She huffily stormed off.

Back inside the house, Rachel stared at her mother, who was biting down on her bottom lip. "So. Mom. You and Mr. Schue really got along nicely today."

Shelby looked at her. "Yeah. We did," she said carefully.

"Some would even say he was flirting with you."

She frowned and looked at her daughter sharply. "Oh no. We are _not _having this conversation again. I thought you got over that earlier. Is it such a crime to be friendly? Or would you rather I treat him like he's lower than a pile of dirt?"

Rachel stood up, starting to get slightly frustrated. "Oh please. You two were beyond friendly. I mean, seriously. After he guessed your charade right? When you two held hands? And then during his slaughter of Romeo and Juliet when he grabbed you? It looked like you two wanted to rip off each others clothes off right there and then!"

"You're overdramatic and delusional. He was _acting_. It was _charades_. Plus, he's got a girlfriend and he just recently divorced his ex-wife. So get over your childish obsession with whatever you think Mr. Schue and I have because honestly, it's kind of annoying and really stupid."

"Fine!"

She turned around and ran up the stairs. There was a loud sound of a door slam soon after.

Shelby watched her leave and sat down at the table, sighing. She didn't get why Will had flirted with her so much tonight. He had a girlfriend, for Chrissake! It seemed like he was interested in her, though. And she had to admit, she was interested in him. Oh well. If she was meant to be with Will, then it would happen. If she wasn't meant to be with him, then she wouldn't. Some things just weren't meant to be. But she had to remain optimistic.

She walked up the stairs and gently knocked on Rachel's door.

"It's open," was the mumbled reply.

She walked inside and sat down next to her daughter, whose face was buried in her pillow. She placed her hand on her back.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, sweetie. It's just… I'm tired of hearing about Mr. Schue and me. I don't like him, and I'm pretty sure that he doesn't like me." She knew how wrong it was to lie to her daughter, but the truth was just too scary. "I'm not sure what you're quite doing- whether you're rooting for me or just wanting me to be happy- but I do know that what's meant to happen will happen. And for now, I just don't think that getting with a man who's in a relationship is the best thing for me to do."

Rachel sighed and rolled over so that she was facing Shelby. "I know. And I'm sorry, Mom. I don't know what got into me."

"Okay. It's all right. Now get some sleep."

Rachel yawned and felt her mother pull the covers over her. "Besides, I'm actually glad that you don't like him. That'd just be way too weird for me. I mean, my mom dating my teacher? That's practically incest."

Shelby frowned. "Well, I wouldn't say _incest _necessarily…"

"Hey, Mom? I'm tired. Do you mind if I just go to sleep?"

"Sure. Of course."

She turned and walked out of the room, confused. At first it seemed that Rachel was all about hooking Will and her up, and now she seemed as if she despised the very thought of them together. She shook her head. She could think about it later.

For now, however, she needed her beauty sleep.

* * *

A few days later, Shelby was busy watching her Vocal Adrenaline students brainstorm songs to perform for their next competition. She heard the auditorium door close and looked up to see Will approaching her. She looked around.

"Hey, guys, why don't you guys go backstage and keep thinking of ideas, okay? I'll just be a few minutes," she said into the microphone.

They obliged and she looked up at Will. "What are you doing here?"

He put his hands in his pockets and took a deep breath. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to dinner with me."

This surprised Shelby greatly. "Like on a date?"

He smiled. "Yes, like on a date."

"I thought you had a girlfriend."

He took a seat next to her. "I did, but I broke up with Emma about a week ago. I've wanted to ask you out ever since you told me you hadn't gone out with anyone for three years. I've wanted to change that fact for a long time now. After this, you won't be able to say that again. So, what do you say? Will you go out with me?"

She looked at him, still in shock. Finally, she smiled.

"I'd like that."

* * *

They arranged to go to dinner on Friday, three days from then. Rachel was going to her Dads' house early that day. Both agreed not to tell anyone that they were going to go on a date together. He told her he'd pick her up at seven.

It was Thursday when Sue Sylvester walked into Will's office.

"Hey, Curly Top. I got some bad news for you."

Will looked up at her and sighed. "What is it, Sue?"

She spit into his trash can- purposely missing. "Oops. You'll have to clean that up later. Anyways, you're gonna have to stay here extra late tomorrow. I scheduled an extracurricular meeting from 7-10."

He was alarmed. "What? Tomorrow? No, I can't do it tomorrow, Sue. Please, any day but then."

She growled at him. "What's the big problem with tomorrow? I mean, it's you, Will. I already know that you never have plans for Friday nights."

He ignored her. "Actually, I do."

"What is it, a date?"

"It's not any of your business."

"Ah, so it _is._" She then dissolved into a fit of hysterical laughter. "That's rich! William Schuester going on a date!"

"So can you see why I can't stay late tomorrow? Could you please reschedule the meeting?"

An evil idea popped into Sue's head. "All right, Will. Sure. I'll reschedule. Even _you _deserve a little bit of happiness. After all, it's obvious that you'll eventually die alone and miserable."

He was shocked that Sue would agree to change the date. "Really? You'd do that?"

"I'm not completely heartless. I'll reschedule for Monday. I want to hear about how horrible the date was, anyway. Ah, I pray for that poor girl already… And also, may I make a suggestion?"

He shrugged. "Are you giving me a choice?"

"No, not really. I'll tell you it anyway. I suggest you shave your head before your date. Because when that girl's making out with you and running her hands through your hair, I can already tell you now that she's not going to take it lightly when she finds all those elves on her fingers when she pulls back."

She gave one last laugh before she turned around and excited.

Will stared after her. He knew something was fishy, but he decided that he didn't care as long as he got to spend time with Shelby.

* * *

Sue walked into Emma's office without bothering to knock.

"Hey, Pillsbury dough girl, I have news for you."

Emma looked up. "What are you doing here?"

"I've got three words for you: Will. Date. Tomorrow."

Her eyes grew wide. "_What?_ With who?"

Sue shrugged. "I dunno. He didn't say."

_It has to be that Shelby woman, _Emma thought bitterly.

She looked suspiciously at the older woman. "Why are you telling me this? We aren't exactly the best of friends."

"Because I hate Will, and I know he broke your heart. I want to get back at him as much as you do."

"So what am I supposed to do exactly? Slash his tires or something?"

"That's not a half bad idea, actually. But no, I was thinking more along the lines of setting his car on fire and then snapping your wrist or something so he's forced to drive you to the hospital."

Emma looked at her wrist. "Snap my wrist? I suppose I could do without my left one for a couple of weeks…"

"That's the spirit, kiddo!"

"How am I supposed to break it, though?"

Sue waved her hand in a dismissing gesture. "Don't worry about that; it'll be easy. I'll do it for you. Then you can lie and say you slipped down the stairs or something. So whaddya say, you in?"

Emma bit down on her lip before nodding. "I'm in."

* * *

It was 6:20 when Sue met up with Emma outside of McKinley High on Friday night.

"Is Will still in there?" Sue asked, looking around.

"Yes, but he's leaving soon."

"I already coated his car in gasoline. I just have to light up a match and throw it through the window. Stupid nincompoop left it open. Figures," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

Emma suddenly seemed uncertain. "Are you sure this is such a good idea, Sue? I mean, it's his car. That's a lot of money. And we're going to waste the fire department's time."

Sue put her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing. "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts _now. _This is gonna happen. Remember how in love you were with him and how hurt you were when he dumped you for someone else?"

"This is illegal, though."

"Rules are made to be broken. Now let's fire up this bitch."

Sue took out a match, lit it, and threw it into Will's car. Flames leapt up immediately, quickly igniting the entire car. She ran away and up to Emma.

"You better warn him about his car," she told the younger guidance counselor.

Emma nodded and scurried off. It wasn't long before she was knocking on Will's door.

"Oh, hey, Emma." He saw her panicked expression and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Y-your car's on fire."

"What?" Will shouted, leaping up and racing out of his office. He soon made it outside and saw his car up in flames. "Oh my God! My baby!" He turned to Emma. "Call 911!"

The fire department arrived 15 minutes later. It took them a good a good 20 to kill the fire.

"That your car?" the captain asked Will. He nodded, still in shock somewhat. "Well you're in luck. The damage isn't too bad. Probably just needs a few hours in the repair shop. I called the tow guy. Said he'll be here in about 10 minutes. You'll need to get a ride there yourself, though."

He walked away.

Will turned to Emma. "I know you're probably still mad at me, but do you think you could give me a ride to the auto shop? This is really important."

She nodded. "Yeah, of course."

He smiled. "Thanks, Emma."

She smiled to herself. Step One complete.

* * *

At 8:45, Sue arrived at the auto shop. She was pleased to see that Will was still there. He was distracted, which was a good thing. She called Emma and told her she was waiting outside.

Emma arrived shortly after and walked up to Sue, holding out her wrist.

"Are you ready for this?" When she nodded, Sue took a strong, tight grip on her. "Okay. This'll hurt like hell, but it'll be worth it."

Then, with one fluid, somewhat jerky, sudden motion, she twisted Emma's wrist. There was a sickening snap, and Emma's right hand immediately shot up to cradle her left one.

"Ow!"

"I told you. Now put on some crocodile tears, go in, and make him take you to the E.R."

Emma nodded and went back inside. She began to cry, but the tears weren't fake. Her wrist really hurt like crazy.

"W-will?"

He looked up from his car and rushed toward her. "Oh my God, what happened?"

"I slipped d-down the stairs. I-I think I broke my wrist. W-will you drive me to the Emergency Room?"

He nodded, and the two of them drove off. They arrived at the hospital around 9:30. The nurses considered Emma's injury a minor one compared to some of the other patients, so she didn't get emitted until 10:15. They took an x-ray of her wrist.

"It's broken all right," the doctor informed them. "How did this happen?"

"I slipped down the stairs and used my hands to break my fall."

"Ah, yep, that'll do it for ya. You're gonna need an arm cast."

_Great, _she thought angrily.

45 minutes later, Will was waiting for her to finish getting her cast. He pulled out his cell phone, which was set on silent. 3 missed calls and 1 voicemail, all from Shelby. Shelby. Oh crap. With all that had gone on, he completely forgotten about their date, which was hard to believe considering how much he liked her. He listened to the voicemail.

"_It's Shelby. It's 11 'o' clock, so obviously you forgot about our date. Or maybe you just never cared to start out with. _You _asked _me _out, but whatever. It was obviously just a joke. I just had a tiny sliver of hope that maybe- just maybe- you liked me as much as I liked you. My mistake."_

Will looked at the clock. 11:30. He groaned and buried his head in his hands.

_You really screwed up this time, Will._

**TBC**

**Yuck, I hated this chapter. It was really hard to write. But feel free to review (aka, please review!), and maybe I'll feel better about it. :) The future chapters should be better (hopefully). **

**Oh, and I know Emma letting Sue snap her wrist was a big stretch, but hey, I couldn't think of any other way Emma wouldn't be able to drive without having it be a serious injury. Sorry 'bout that. **


	4. Chapter 4

**I decided to update this a little quicker. This chapter should be better than chapter three, for those of you who were worried. :)****Three Years**

* * *

Shelby walked to her bed after taking a shower. She noticed that her phone was flashing, signaling that she had received a voicemail. It was from Will. She rolled her eyes with annoyance and disgust. He left it at 11:32. Reluctantly, she lifted up and pressed the sleek phone to her ear.

_"Shelby, it's Will. Oh my God, I am so sorry. I didn't intend to forget about the date. Please, believe me; I really wanted to go out with you. I was looking forward to it. Some important stuff came up, and before I knew it, I was too late. Let me make it up to you. Please give me a second chance. Call me back. Again, I'm so sorry."_

Her voice machine that was programmed took it from there.

_"To call this person back, press 1. To save this message, press 2. To delete this message, press 3."_

Shelby paused, her finger hovering over the number 1. She wanted so badly to call him back, to forgive him, but the pain of being rejected- forgotten about- hurt too much. He hadn't even picked up the phone the first 3 times she called! She liked him, though. More than she cared to admit. Her finger moved closer still to the 1 button.

But at the last minute she pressed 3 and turned off her phone for the night.

* * *

Will didn't try to contact Shelby at all the next day, Saturday. He figured she needed some time by herself. He called her early Sunday morning, feeling a twinge of hope when the phone actually rang.

_Ring. Ring. Ri-_

_"Hi. You've reached Shelby Corcoran, coach of the Midwest champion show choir group Vocal Adrenaline. Leave a message."_

"Damn," he muttered, hanging up.

He couldn't believe it. She actually screened his call! She sent him to voicemail deliberately. Maybe it was just a fluke. He redialed.

_Ring. Ri-_

_"Hi. You've reached Shelby Cor-"_

He hung up again. Nope, she was definitely ignoring his calls on purpose. He waited a few minutes before trying one last time. This time it didn't ring at all; it went straight to voicemail. He sighed with frustration and pocketed his phone in his jeans. He decided to take matters into his own hands. He drove to Shelby's house and jogged up the front steps. He was surprised to discover a note taped on the door.

_Rachel,_  
_I'm currently in my office at the Vocal Adrenaline theatre we practice at. I should be back before you get home, but just in case..._  
_Love,_  
_Mom_

Will climbed back into his car and drove to the Vocal Adrenaline building. He had to search around for a little while before he spied one office door that was open, a dim light spilling into the dark hallway. He peeked inside. There he found Shelby, curled up in her big chair leaning against a pillow.

Her hair was pulled up into a sloppy ponytail, and she was dressed in only a bright red tank top, black flip-flops, and baggy black sweatpants that hung low on her hips, exposing her midriff. She was facing away from him, staring at her trophy from Regional's and unaware that Will was watching her. She pulled out her hair tie and shook her head, her long, wavy locks cascading down her bare shoulders and onto her back.

He had never seen her dressed so casually. She was beautiful.

"Did you sleep here?" he asked.

She whirled around to face him, caught off guard. "Um, yeah."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "Didn't feel like sleeping alone in my house. I feel more comfortable here anyway. What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry."

"So you thought calling me and harassing me over and over would make me forgive you?"

"I didn't know I was 'harassing' you. You didn't really tell me to stop."

She glared slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry if me sending you to voicemail wasn't clear enough. Next time I'll just answer, say 'Quit calling me before I get a restraining order', and hang up. Does that sound better?"

He frowned. He could already see that she was slipping away.

"Look, I know I hurt you-"

"Whoa, let me stop you there. You did _not _hurt me," she lied, unwilling to admit her vulnerability.

"Fine. I'm sorry I made a mistake. But can't we talk about it?"

She crossed her arms across her chest. "There isn't really much to talk about. You stood me up. It's as simple as that."

He put his hands on her desk, leaning forward. "No, it's not. You didn't let me tell my side of the story."

"All right then. I'm fair. So explain why you let me wait for 4 1/2 hours at home without calling me or answering your phone."

Well, when she put it that way...

"I was going to go home and get ready for our date when I found out my car was on fire."

"Your car was on fire?" Shelby asked skeptically. She laughed coldly in disbelief. "That's rich! That's the worst excuse I've ever-"

Will smacked his fist on her desk, startling her into silence. "Dammit, Shelby, _listen _to me. My car was seriously on fire. Then, at the repair shop, Emma broke her wrist, and I had to take her to the E.R."

"You mean you were with your _ex? _I don't believe this…"

Wow, that did sound bad.

"She gave me a ride to the auto shop."

She sighed. "Look, Will, I think I'm beginning to understand. But you have to see things from my point of view. When I told you that I hadn't been on a date in three years, I expected you to respect that. I know I may seem like I'm overreacting, but I opened up to you. I don't do that to just anyone. You can't just mess with my feelings. I was so excited when you asked me out, but when you didn't show up…" her voice trailed off. "It felt like what little hope I had of having a relationship like a normal person was squashed."

"I didn't mean to toy with your feelings. I feel like such an idiot. This is one of the biggest mistakes in my life. Well, this and marrying my first wife."

She laughed a little and smiled briefly. He chuckled with and her and then resumed being serious.

"I'm so sorry, Shelby."

She nodded. "I know you are. I'm just… not ready to date you. Not yet, at least. Soon, probably."

He nodded. "I understand." He walked around the desk and gently kissed her on the forehead, hoping he hadn't just crossed the line. "I'll be in touch."

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

"What the hell are these?" Jesse asked, holding up a bouquet of weird purple and white purples. "Hey Coach, these are for you."

Shelby took the flowers from him. "Oh. Thanks, Jesse."

"Who are they from?" he inquired.

She looked at the card and smiled slightly. "A friend."

He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow. "Yeah, mmm-hmm. Sure it is."

"Don't give me that that tone or that look, young man. Don't you have anything better to do than nose around in my business?" She put her hand on his floppy curls and pushed him away. "Now go away and practice or something."

He smirked before doing so.

Shelby went into her office and shut the door behind her. She sat in her seat and examined the small card more carefully.

_Shelby,  
Don't think that I'm trying to pressure you into making a faster decision or something, 'cause I'm not. These were just on sale. The flowers are purple hyacinths and white chrysanthemums.  
-W._

She fingered the petals thoughtfully. They weren't the… prettiest flowers in the world, but it was the thought that counted, right? She paused before logging onto her computer. She was signing into her email when a second screen appeared, flashing at her.

"Stupid pop-ups," she muttered.

She was about to exit out when she took the time to read the ad.

"DIFFERENT FLOWERS HAVE DIFFERENT MEANINGS. BE SURE TO GET YOUR SPOUSE THE RIGHT KIND. FOREVER PETALS HAS HUNDREDS OF FLOWERS SO YOU CAN GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS. CALL 1-800-4EVR-PTLS. ORDER TODAY!"

Suddenly a light bulb went off her in her head. Yes, _that _must've been the reason for the less than common flowers. He _did _give her the exact names of the flowers, after all. She brought up Google on her browser and typed in "white chrysanthemum meaning." She read the first link.

_The white chrysanthemum stands for sincerity and truth._

Then she searched for the meaning of the purple hyacinths.

_The purple hyacinth transfers the message 'I'm sorry; forgive me.'_

Shelby rolled her eyes, smiling. No way was those flowers 'just on sale.' She leaned back in her chair.

She decided it was about time to forgive Will.

**TBC**

**As usual, please review and tell me what you thought!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here we go, a nice, long chapter coming up! Full of Shell goodness. :) And the best part? No Sue or Emma in this chapter! Yay! But there is Kurt and Puck. 'Cuz Kurt's just plain awesome. Oh, and I probably won't update this in a week or less because I'm running out of chapters to post. I've got a lot of writing ahead of me, and school's starting soon. I already have a jam-packed schedule this summer as it is.**

**Warning(s): 1) Just a quick moment of OOC-ness on Shelby's part. 2) Fluff!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or its characters.****Three Years**

* * *

"Shelby! What are you doing here?" will asked a few days after he had sent the flowers.

She smiled and walked inside, closing the door behind her. "Well hello to you too," she joked.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're here. It's just a surprise, that's all. A nice surprise. Did you get my flowers?"

She nodded and sat down. "Yes, I did. And thank you. That was very sweet of you. Oh, and I looked up the meanings. That was even sweeter."

He smiled. "You deserved it."

"So… the real reason I came here was that I wanted to… I wanted to ask you out."

Will shook his head, figuring he had just misheard her. "I'm sorry?"

She reached into her purse, pulled out two tickets, and placed them on his desk. "Wicked. Front row seats. I want you to come with me." She paused. "As my date."

He was dumbfounded. "Are you asking me out?"

She laughed a little. "Jeez, you make it seem like we're back in high school or something."

He looked around. "Well, we _are _in a high school…"

"Anyways, yes, I am asking you out."

"And I'm accepting."

She laughed with relief, beaming. "Okay. Great! It's Sunday at 8."

"Okay. I'll pick you up at 7:15."

The smile fell of her face. She tipped her head down, her hair falling in front of and shielding her eyes, which were full of uncertainty and worry.

"You won't stand me up?" she asked in a small voice.

"No, no, Shelby. I wouldn't dare."

She sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her palm. "Okay. Wear a tux. I have to go."

She got up quickly and turned for the door, unable to look at him.

Will got up. "Hey," he said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? Look at me." She did, and he could see tears brimming under her eyelids. "I'm not going to forget this time, Shelby. I promise."

She nodded, looking at him and wiping a few tears away. "Okay." She laughed a little at her foolishness of actually crying. "Sorry."

He tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. His hand remained there, and she looked at him. He wiped the remaining tears away with his thumbs. His hands were on both sides of her face now. He pulled her closer to him. Their hearts were racing when he placed his lips gently on hers and softly kissed her.

She gasped lightly. He had meant it to be a quick kiss, a gesture of comfort, but the tiny intake of breath tugged at him, pulling him back to her. He kissed her again, this time for longer. She reciprocated this time, kissing him back. She slowly moved her hands up to the back of his neck until they rested on the bottom of his hairline. He cupped her face as they continued to kiss.

"Mr. Schue?"

The two parted quickly, her arms still around his neck, to find Puck gaping at them, his hand on the doorknob.

"Uh, what is it, Puck?"

"Um… never mind," he muttered awkwardly, turning to leave. He snorted, shaking his head. "Screwing the head rival coach. Nice." He thought for a second. "Actually, that's not a bad idea... I just wish I would've thought of it first. She's smoking."

Shelby took her hands off of Will and turned to him, her hand now resting on the back of her head. "I should probably get going. I'll see you Sunday."

He smiled and nodded. "Yep. See you."

He shut the door behind her and then leaned back against it, closing his eyes.

God, could Puck have any worse timing?

* * *

"_Wow, _Mom!" Rachel praised, her eyes widening as her mother appeared in the kitchen. "You look amazing!"

"Really?" Shelby asked, fumbling with the fabric of her dress. "It isn't too much?"

Rachel shook her head. "Oh, not at all."

Shelby was dressed in a royal blue silk dress that ended just above her knees. It was sleeveless with soft, ribbon-like straps that held it up. It hugged her body nicely, but it wasn't overly tight. Her hair was curled extra, and she wore a thin necklace with a diamond hanging from it.

She had told her daughter that she and Will were going to Wicked to get ideas for Vocal Adrenaline and New Directions. She told her that they were both going so that it'd be fair.

"Aw, thanks baby," she said, kissing Rachel's head. The doorbell rang. "Oh, there's your teacher. I gotta go. See you, sweetie. Don't wait up."

She grabbed her purse and opened the door.

"Hey, Shel-" His voice trailed off when he saw her. "-by." His eyes bugged out. She looked gorgeous. "You look… um, wow. You look great."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, hush. But thank you anyway. You're sweet. You clean up pretty good yourself." He was dressed in a nice, charcoal tux. "That doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you during competitions."

He laughed and followed her. "Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

When they arrived, they linked arms. All eyes were on them, the best looking couple there. A young man with a camera approached them.

"Would you like a picture of the two of you by the Wicked sign? It's a good way to capture a memory of your trip here. You can pick it up after the show."

They looked at each other.

"Sure, why not?"

They posed with their arms around each others waists. At the last moment, Will turned and kissed Shelby on the cheek. The flash of the camera went off. She gasped.

"Will!" she half scowled, half giggled, blushing.

_Oh God, he's got me blushing. What's wrong with you, Shelby?_

"What?" he asked innocently.

She shook her head. "I'm going to go see where our seats are located and how good they are. Be right back."

He watched her go.

"Mr. Schue?" a voice cried.

"_Kurt?"_

The young, enthusiastic boy ran up to his teacher. "I can't believe you're here too! What a small world!"

Will smiled. "Yes, I suppose it is. Are you a big Wicked fan? I know you like Defying Gravity but…"

Kurt beamed. "Yes, I _love _Wicked! This is the first time seeing the Broadway. However, I have the soundtrack. It's performed by the OBC."

"OBC?"

"Original Broadway Cast." He put his hand on his hip and straightened up with eagerness. "I can't wait to see how this Elphaba compares with the original: the amazing, gorgeous, and utterly fabulous Idina Menzel. Are you here alone?"

"Uh…yeah."

Kurt's eyes lightened up. "Oh, well then sit with me and my dad. I absolutely insist."

Will waved him off politely. "Oh, that's okay. I'm fine."

Shelby appeared at his side, linking her arm with his. "Okay, I'm done. You ready to go get our seats?"

She didn't recognize Kurt, but he recognized her. "_Ms. Corcoran?_"

She peered at the teenager. "Do I know you?"

He nodded, slightly offended. "Yes. Well, kinda. Kurt Hummel. I'm in New Directions." He looked at Will. "I thought you said you were here alone."

"Um… uh," he stammered uselessly.

"He did come alone," Shelby cut in for him. "I was here and went up to talk to him. We found out our seats were next to each other, so we're going to sit together."

"Oh," Kurt said, somewhat dubiously. "Okay."

"Yeah," Will said. "We should get together during admission, and you can tell me how Elphaba ranks with Idina."

He smiled, seeming to cheer up. "Okay, sounds good!" His father called for him. "I gotta go. See you at intermission!"

He flounced off, leaving them alone.

Will looked Shelby. "Sorry about that."

She shrugged. "No biggie."

"So, how are our seats?"

She looked at him, eyes wide in wonder. "Oh, they're _fantastic! _I'd say they're the best in the house."

"How'd you get them, anyway?"

She smiled. "Being a coach of a successful show choir has its perks."

"Well, lead the way m'lady."

He bowed grandly, opening up his arm.

"And they said chivalry was dead," she said dryly.

"Who says that?" he asked playfully.

"I do, every Saturday night," she grumbled.

"What do you do on Saturday nights?"

She smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

* * *

The lights went up for intermission after the last not of Defying Gravity.

"This musical is truly amazing," Will said to Shelby in admiration.

"It is, isn't it?" she asked, turning to find him staring at her with a soft expression. "What?"

"Thank you for inviting me," he told her honestly.

"There isn't anyone I'd rather go with," she answered just as truthfully.

They smiled for each other, and he reached for her hand.

"Aw, you guys got front row seats? Lucky!" Will drew back his hand and watched as Kurt sat down on the soft floor in front of them. "So what do you guys think of it so for?" he continued, smiling up at them, oblivious of the private moment he had just ruined.

"I think it's the best musical I've ever seen. Of course, the only musicals I've seen are this, Rent, and High School Musical, if that last one counts. My range is kind of limited."

"Rent's a good musical," Kurt agreed. "I like Angel. I cried like a baby during the funeral."

"See, now I like Maureen the best. She's feisty." He gestured to the stage. "So what did you think of Elphaba's singing? Pretty good, don't you think?"

Kurt raised his hand and gave the so-so sign. "She was good, but Idina's is much better. Idina knows how to really project her powerful voice and use it to her advantage. She's absolutely dazzling. Idina is simply the best. Both women are extremely talented though, I must admit." He smiled, standing up. "Well, I'm going to check out the gift shop. Anyone care to join me?"

"I will," Will volunteered. He looked at Shelby. "Is that okay with you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I have to go to the ladies' room anyway."

They all got up and left. Will knew exactly what he was going to buy.

* * *

"I wonder what it'd be like to put on our own version of Wicked," Shelby said to Will thoughtfully as they walked back to the car.

"You'd make a pretty wicked Elphaba," Will told her, smiling at his own little joke. "Pun intended."

She rolled her eyes. "I was talking about the kids, Rachel as Elphaba and Jesse as Fiyero more specifically. Although, you'd make a pretty cute Fiyero yourself."

He grinned. "No argument there."

They got in the car.

"I _would _make a great Elphaba, wouldn't I?" she asked, talking more to herself than to Will. She looked at him. "I mean, I could sing those songs 10 times better than that Elphaba. _And _I could sing them with theatricality."

He smiled at her and gently squeezed her hand. "I know you can."

**TBC**

* * *

**I have yet another link for Shelby's dress. This time it's for the blue one though. :) Please check it out! It's perdy.**

**www (dot) thevoguecity (dot) com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/blue-dress-nyc (dot) jpg**

**As always, review and tell me what you thought!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the reviews (and all the reveiws I recieved for "Don't Cry")! Please read the A/N at the end.**

**Warning: I totally just made up Will and Shelby's phone numbers. I do not suggest calling them. And also, there is some Emma OOC-ness in this chapter. Fair warning. It'll be worse the next one.**

**I saw Idina and Kristin Chenoweth's names in a TV Guide magazine today! Woo hoo! And for good measure, 81 days until I see Idina in concert!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Glee, do you really think I would've said what I just said above? Answer: No.**

* * *

**Three Years Chapter 6**

Will walked Shelby up to her front door.

"Thank you, Shelby. I had a really great time."

"Thank _you _for going with me. I had a good time too." Her eyes went wide with worry. "Oh, Will!"

"What?" he asked alarmed.

"We forgot our picture."

She looked genuinely upset.

He reached into his pocket. "You mean this picture?"

He held out the picture of the two of them by the Wicked poster. It was surrounded by a shiny silver frame. The Wicked logo was etched at the top with a broom on the left side and a staff/wand on the right. The date was engraved at the bottom.

"Oh, wow… Will," she breathed, her hand moving to cover up her mouth. She took the photo. "It's beautiful. Thank you. But what about your picture?"

"Oh, I got a frame for me too."

"It's one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received."

The front door opened, and Rachel stepped out between them.

"Hey Mom, Mr. Schue. How was Wicked?"

"It was great," Will responded. "Kurt was there."

"Kurt? Of he was," she grumbled angrily. "He must be trying to get back at me for beating him at the Defying Gravity solo."

Shelby put her hand on Rachel's head. "What are you still doing up, sweetie? I thought I told you not to wait for me."

"Oh, you did. I was bored though. Are you going to come inside?"

"Yeah, I just want to say goodbye to your teacher first. I'll only be a minute."

Rachel and nodded and went back inside.

Shelby looked at Will. "I should go."

He nodded. "All right. I'll call you."

He leaned in and slowly yet softly kissed her cheek.

At he left, her hand came up on its own accord. She felt the area where he kissed her burn pleasantly. She smiled.

It had been one of the best dates in her entire life.

* * *

Emma was walking through the main office of McKinley when she happened to overhear the secretary complaining to herself.

"I have so much to do. I don't have time to take these papers to William Schuester. But no, what Figgins wants, Figgins gets."

"Oh, do you want me to take those to Will?" Emma asked casually.

"Pardon?"

She smiled innocently. "I just couldn't help but accidentally overheard you. I'd be happy to take those to his office considering how busy you are."

"Oh, thanks Emma. I owe you one."

"No, thank _you._"

She squirted some hand sanitizer on before taking the papers. What a perfect excuse to check on Will! She flounced to his office and used her sweater over her hand to open the door.

"Will, I have-"

The office was empty. She sighed with disappointment and walked over behind his desk, setting down the papers. She was looking for a pen to write a note to him when her eye caught something shiny. Her eyes focused in on a picture.

A picture of her love Will and that meddling Shelby woman.

In the picture, he was kissing her cheek sloppily, and she was laughing. They were seeing Wicked on Broadway.

She looked at the date and was surprised to find that they had gone just a few days ago. Jealously bubbled up inside of her. She wondered what else they had done beside just go to the show. Did they kiss? Have sex?

_Of course they had sex, _she thought disgustedly. _She's a whore._

Emma turned and stormed out of the room, completely forgetting to write the note.

_

* * *

_

Wanna go to the roller rink Saturday? They have a couples night special going from 9-11. ~ Glee + that _**C**__ertain __**S**__omeone= life. William Schuester. Office # 374-8695_

Shelby smiled at the email. She particularly liked his auto-signature. The C and S were bolded in "Certain Someone". They were her initials backward. She changed her own auto-signature and typed back.

_Sure, you bet. Should we go to dinner before?_

_P.S. Btw, I love your new auto-sig. ~ Shelby Corcoran, coach of Vocal Adrenaline. __**W**__eekends are __**S**__o much better now. Office # 369-1587_

His reply came shortly after.

_Yeah, sounds good to me. I know a great little place we can go to. I'll pick you up at 7:30. Be sure to wear something casual. Looking forward to it._

_P.S. I thought you'd like it. Yours isn't half bad itself. ;)~ Glee + that __**C**__ertain __**S**__omeone= life. William Schuester. Office # 374- 8695_

She glanced at her door and then the clock.

_Gotcha. I'll be ready and waiting. I have to go to VA rehearsals now. See you Sat. ~ Shelby Corcoran, coach of Vocal Adrenaline. __**W**__eekends are __**S**__o much better now. Office # 369-1587_

* * *

Sue found Will in the cafeteria eating alone. She sat in one of the chairs at his table.

"Hey Will. I see you still have that God awful rat's nest on your head."

He sighed, tired but used to her insults regarding his hair. He didn't really care. He liked his hair- and so did Shelby, she even commented on it- so he was keeping it.

"Can I help you with something, Sue?"

"Actually, you can." He raised an eyebrow, silently beckoning for her to continue. "You can tell me how your date a while ago went."

"Which one?"

"Oh, that's a shame-" His words settled in, and her eyes flashed to his. If looks could kill, Will would be a pile of slaughter Schuester-meat on the chair being devoured by Sue's pitbulls. "Wait, what do you _mean _'which one'? I'm talking about the only one, you idiot. The one over a month ago that I had to reschedule that meeting for."

"I didn't make it to that one. My car started on fire, and then I had to take Emma to the E.R. But I got another chance with her. We saw Wicked on Broadway a little while ago. It was great."

Sue was shocked at this news. She recovered slightly quickly, however.

"Wow. I'm surprised she didn't dump you on your ass for standing her up. I know I wouldn't want a crappy, unreliable boyfriend like someone such as you."

"Well, not that it's any of your business, but I apologized numerous times. She eventually forgave me. She liked me, and I liked her. We went out. She even asked me out herself. And I must've done something right," he told her, packing his things and slowly rising, "because we're going out again Saturday night."

Then he left, leaving Sue stunned, speechless, and alone at the table.

* * *

Emma was searching for Sue when she ran into her outside the cafeteria.

"Oh, I was just going to go to your office."

"Really? I was just looking for you myself, Sue."

"What a coincidence. Not. Hurry up and tell me what you know, Carrot Head, before I lose my patience and not tell you what I just learned."

"Oh, well, sorry. But I just found out that Will went on a date a little while ago."

"I know."

"What?"

She nodded towards the cafeteria. "He just told me in the flesh. And get this, their date went really well because they're going out again Saturday."

"What?" Emma repeated, feeling dumb.

Sue leaned forward, her face inches away, and spoke slowly like she was talking to a toddler. "Will. And. His. Girlfriend. Are. Going. Out. On. Saturday."

"No."

"Yesssss. God, you're even more stupid than I thought. Wait, do you know who he's dating?"

She nodded, her red hair swaying. "Yeah, some woman named Shelby Corcoran."

Sue laughed in disbelief. "Oh, _wow._"

"Do you know her?"

She shook her head. "Not personally, but I've seen her in person."

"Oh, right."

She snorted. "What surprises me the most is how did Will get with someone like that? Have you seen her?"

The younger woman shook her head. "No. Well, not in real life. I've seen a picture of her-"

"Nope, doesn't count," Sue cut her off. "You have to s_ee _her. She is so out of his league. Damn. Appearance-wise, they're opposite extremes. Especially with their hair."

Considering the fact that Emma thought Will was very good looking as it was, she figured that meant Shelby was _really _good looking.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when Sue suddenly put her hand on her shoulder. Emma felt nauseous, disgusted, and extremely uncomfortable, and Sue knew it. She tired to shrug off her hand, but the Cheerios coach held tight.

"You know what this means, don't you?"

"Um… ah… maybe?" she stammered, thinking of nothing but how many germs were crawling on her due to Sue.

"It means we have to stop their date. Again."

* * *

**First of all, please review!**

**Second of all, I am at a mega jumbo writer's block right now! I also start school tomorrow, which means I'll have very little time to work on this. _And _I'm working on a RENT fic right now because the words are coming to me easily. **

**I know what I want to happen in this, but I am in desperate need of filler chapters. So, please send me your ideas of what you want to happen in a PM (private message) or a review! I'll try my best to fit it in. **

**In other words: No ideas, no updates! I only have two more chapters after this already written.**


	7. Chapter 7

**So sorry for the long delay. I've been crammed with loads of homework already. But I take a lot of honor classes so that's mainly why. Here you go. Warning: Emma OOC-ness and Emma/Sue evil plot is going to ensue. Again. I should probably say now that Emma's going to be _mainly _OOC throughout the whole story. Sorry?****

* * *

****Three Years Chapter Seven: Diet Coke**

Emma sat, terrified, in a chair in Sue's office. This was the first time she had been in Sue's office, and now that she had seen it, she never wanted to come back. She felt trapped, helpless, frozen in place like a deer stuck in the path of an on-coming semi-truck. In a way, she was. But this situation was different than most like its kind. The semi-truck had a name.

And that name was Sue Sylvester.

"So, um, Sue-" Emma started to say, but Sue cut her off.

"Let's cut straight to the chase, Cupcake. I don't have time for idle small talk about how our days are going because honestly, we both know the answer: crappy. Our days are crappy. Why? Well, your day is crappy because Will is dating Shelby and you will never find love ever again, and my day is crappy because he isn't dead yet and hasn't shaved his head until it shines like a scale on Rainbow Fish's tail."

"Um… Rainbow Fish?"

Sue blinked. "Yes, Rainbow Fish. He's the really colorful, shiny, sparkling fish in the little kid books. Oh, I forgot, you were deprived of anything normal as a child, and that's how you developed that horrible illness of yours. No wonder you haven't heard of it."

"That's not how-"

She held up a hand. "I don't want to hear it. Now, let's get to business. We must stop Shelby and Will's date. We can't go after Will again, or he might get suspicious."

Emma wrung her hands anxiously in her lap. "You've put a lot of thought into this, huh?"

"I live to think of ways to make Will miserable. If I have to take down his girlfriend to accomplish that, then so be it."

"Um, you're not going to do anything to… to hurt her, are you?"

"Not unless it's absolutely necessary."

Her eyes widened. "Necessary?" she asked, her voice squeaking.

"Would you calm down? You act like I'm Freddy Cougar on crack." Sue opened a drawer in her desk and dug around. She soon found what she was looking for. "Ah," she sighed, pulling out a vial of clear, unscented liquid. "Just what I was looking for."

Emma eyed the mysterious container. "What is that?"

"You don't need to know that. The only thing you need to know is that when- yes, I do mean _when- _Shelby drinks this, she will spend the whole next day feeling lower than crap and puking her guts out. I give this as a punishment to my Cheerios when I catch them eating fast food."

She gaped at Sue, horrified. "We're going to poison her?"

"It's not poison. And _we _aren't, _you _are."

"M-me?" She felt like Piglet from Winnie the Pooh.

"Yes you. Here's what you're gonna do." She reached under her desk and pulled out a diet coke. At Emma's questioning look, she explained. "Her type of woman always drinks diet coke. You're gonna follow her to the grocery store, distract her, and switch the diet coke I know she'll have in her cart with this one."

She poured the unknown substance into the coke bottle, swirling it around.

"You want me to stalk her?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Not _stalk, _necessarily. Just closely watch, observe, and follow, that's all." Sue placed the bottle in front of the young guidance counselor. "There ya go. Now get to it."

"So you're sure this won't physically hurt her?" Emma asked worriedly.

"I guarantee it, although I'm not quite sure why you care about her well being at all."

"I just don't want to do anything very drastic," she said, standing up and taking the soda. "Bye, Sue. Um… thanks." She left.

Sue leaned back in her chair. "Oh, Sugar Face, you've already passed being drastic."

* * *

_I can't believe I'm doing this, _Emma thought as she sat in her car intently watching Shelby's house. She had looked her up in the phone book and remembered vaguely where it was from when she first followed Will there. _It's broad daylight, for goodness sakes! Someone's going to see me. Plus, I have better things to do then watch Shelby Corcoran like a creepy stalker. I have a life. Somewhat. And this is the third day I've been watching her._

She turned and saw the door open. Rachel stepped out. Emma sunk down in her seat, silently praying that Rachel didn't discover her not-so-secret hiding spot. After a few agonizingly slow moments, she slowly peered outside… to find Rachel standing with her hands on her hips just inches away from Emma's car. She startled, bumping her head against her seat.

"Ow! Shoot, she found me."

Rachel rapped her knuckles on the window. Emma lowered it a little, wiped off the area where Rachel touched it with a sanitizing wipe, and looked up with as much innocence as she could muster at the young girl.

"Hi there, Rachel."

"Um, hi, Miss Pillsbury," Rachel greeted slowly, feeling awkward and a little creeped out.

"What's up?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but what are you doing parked outside of my mom's house? I've seen your car parked out here for the past two days."

Emma smiled and laughed nervously. "Oh, that! I, um, I have an explanation for that."

Rachel cocked an eyebrow. "Well? Let's hear it." Just then, her cell phone rang. Saved by the cell. "Hello? Oh, hi, Mom. Okay, yeah, I'm coming in. No, I don't need anything for groceries. Do you really have to go now? Oh, you do? Okay. No, I'll just stay here."

Emma had to mask her surprise. Would it really be that easy? Avoid getting grilled by Rachel from a simple phone call from her mother that revealed that Shelby was now going to the grocery store? What luck!

Rachel hung up and looked at the red head. "I've got to go. But please leave. I feel weird with you parked out here. I feel like you're stalking me or something. It's practically an invasion."

"Okay," Emma agreed. "I'll leave, and I won't bother you again."

"Thank you."

She turned on her heel and ran back inside. A few minutes later, Emma saw an older looking version of Rachel walk out and to a shiny black car. She pulled out the driveway and began to drive away. Emma talked her from a distance, making sure to keep at least two cars in between them but still keeping a close eye on her. They soon arrived at the grocery store. Shelby parked the car and went inside. Emma waited a minute before following her.

She had to look for a bit to find her. She spotted the Vocal Adrenaline coach by the fresh produce and sneakily took a peek in her cart. Sure enough, there was already a bottle of diet coke inside. She ran out and back to her car. Once inside, she took out the bottle Sue gave her and a pad of paper. She thought about how she was going to go about switching the bottles, and she soon formed a plan. Now all she had to do was wait.

About twenty minutes later, Shelby walked back outside pushing a cart with a couple of paper bags full of groceries. Emma got out and pretended to just be casually walking by. She walked closer to Shelby and "just happened to notice her".

"Hey, aren't you Shelby Corcoran?"

Shelby looked at her and nodded. "Yes, may I help you?"

Emma watched her tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, envious of her good looks. Sue was right. You really did have to see her in person to get the full effect. The picture Emma saw on Will's desk did Shelby little justice. She was absolutely stunning.

"I'm a big fan of yours," Emma lied, holding out the paper. "I know it may seem a little silly, but do you think I could have an autograph?"

Shelby smiled slightly, surprised at the unusual request. "Okay, um, sure. Just let me get a pen." She opened her purse and dug around. "Huh, hold on a sec, I can't seem to find one now."

While she continued to rummage around, distracted, Emma found the bag the coke was in. Never taking her eyes off Shelby, she quickly switched the two bottles.

"What the hell?"

Emma's head snapped up, her heart stopping and her eyes wide with fear. But instead of finding Shelby staring at her looking like she wanted to chop Emma's head off, she found Shelby staring at something in her purse. Shelby took it out and threw it far away. She glanced at Emma and laughed lightly- somewhat embarrassed- and laughed, shaking her head.

"I have no idea what that was."

Emma tried laughing. It came out like an strangled croak.

"Ah, here's a pen!" Shelby told her with triumphantly, pulling out the writing utensil. She looked at Emma. "What's your name?"

"Uh…" Crap. No way could she say her real name. Luckily, an employee was walking towards them. She glanced at the name tag. "Charlie."

_Charlie? God, what kind of name is that for a girl? She'll never believe me! I'm so doomed._

"That's different. Is your full name Charlotte?"

"Yeah…"

"All right, here you go," Shelby told her, handing back the paper.

Emma looked at it.

_Charlie,_

_Congrats on being my first autograph-recipient. Nice running into you at the grocery store. Keep watching Vocal Adrenaline!_

_Shelby Corcoran_

"Ooh, it's kind of hot out here, isn't it?" she asked, unscrewing the cap of Shelby's- well, now her- soda. She took a dainty sip.

Shelby nodded in agreement and searched around for her drink as well. "That's funny; I just got a diet coke for myself too."

Emma plastered on a grin and held up her bottle in a fake toast. "Cheers."

Shelby glanced at her, thinking the woman was a little on the weird side, before clunking her bottle against hers. Apparently she pushed too hard because a little bit of soda sloshed over and spilled onto Emma's hand.

"Oops. Sorry about that," Shelby apologized, unaware that Emma was secretly paralyzed with disgust and terror. "I'll get some tissues to clean that up or something."

She took a gulp of her drink before twisting the cap back on.

Emma shook her head, still frozen and with her eyes bugging out of her head. "N-n-n-no, that's fine. I h-have to go anyway. Th-thanks for the autograph."

She took off, desperate to get out of there, drive home, and take bath in hand sanitizer.

Shelby watched her leave, slightly bemused. What a weird girl.

* * *

**Sorry that this chapter had absolutely no Will/Shelby interaction in it. Oh well, it's only one chapter. And I hoped you enjoyed it anyway. **

**Next chapter will be all Shell! Wanna read it? I have to update first. You know how you get me to update quicker? REVIEWS. Tons and tons of reviews. :D I promise next update will be quicker than this one was.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here we go. Six whole pages of Shell goodness. :) You are welcome. Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Three Years Chapter Eight: Soup, Kisses, and RENT**

_*HURLLLLLLL*_

_Shit, shit, shit shit shit, _Shelby thought angrily as she heaved over her toilet. _Of all days to get sick…_

She sat kneeled in front, clutching the device with her hands. She had no idea why she was sick- or how she got into her state. All she knew was that she felt like complete crap.

Groaning, she waited for the moment to pass. It usually did. This had become a pattern now: puke for a minute or two, recover for a few minutes, be fine with simple flu-like symptoms (runny nose, itchy eyes, weariness, etc.) for half an hour or so, and then start it all over again. It had started around 11 in the morning, a few hours after she got up. It was now 3:30 in the afternoon. No way would she make it to Will's date without looking and feeling like a wreck. As much as she hated to do it, she knew she had to cancel on him. She hoped he'd understand.

She pulled herself up, trudged over to her bed, and flopped down onto it. She took out her phone and dialed Will's number, smiling when he heard his voice.

"Hey, I didn't expect to hear from you until tonight."

"Are you complaining?" she joked.

"No, of course not. What's up? You sound stuffy."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm cooped up inside with some weird flu or something and keep puking. I feel horrible. I don't think I'm going to make it to our date. I'm sorry."

"Aw man, that sucks," Will replied, sighing. "I was really looking forward to it. It was going to be the highlight of my week."

"I know, mine too. I really wanted to see you," she admitted.

"Same here. I'm sorry you're sick. Is there anything I can do?"

She laughed humorlessly. "Not unless you want to come give me company while I puke my guts out."

He chuckled. "You make it sound so inviting and pleasant."

"It's about as fun as it sounds. I hate it." Her stomach began to bother her, and her hand automatically went up to cover it. "Ooh, I gotta go. My stomach's killing me."

"Okay. Do you want to re-schedule?"

"Yes, but not right now."

"Okay, I get it. Feel better soon. Oh, and are you gonna-"

"Will, I have to _go. _Now. Before I vomit all over my bed. Sorry. I'll talk to you later, okay? Okay. Bye."

She hung up and took off for the bathroom.

* * *

It was around 6 when the door bell rang. Shelby shuffled slowly, wishing the Tylenol she took earlier would hurry up and work already. She wondered who the hell would visit her. She rarely had any visitors, especially on a Saturday night.

She opened the door. Will stood in front of her holding a bag. He stared at her, taking in her tight green tank top and short shorts. Really short shorts. Shorts that revealed her long, smooth legs that seemed to be there just to tease him.

"Will? What're you doing here?"

He tore his gaze away from her legs and settled in on her eyes that were still bright and beautiful despite her condition. He held up the bag a little and smiled.

"You said that I could come over and give you company. I brought you my mom's special homemade soup. Sorry it took so long. It took a few times for me to get it right. I figured this could be our date."

She scoffed. "Are you serious?"

He frowned, slightly hurt. "Well… yeah. I mean, this is dinner. And we're going to talk. Plus, I brought a couple of movies. So it's basically a date."

She put her hand gently on his shoulder. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be rude. I was just surprised, that's all. I'm glad you're here. Do you want to come in?"

He grinned thinly. "Yeah, that was kinda the plan."

She held open the door, and he walked inside, setting down his stuff in the kitchen.

"Do you want some, uh, coffee or something?" she offered.

He shook his head. "No, that's okay, thanks."

She shrugged and then sneezed. "Sorry," she mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't apologize. I'm fine. It's you who I'm worried about."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'm sure it's just a flu. Although I'm not quite sure how I got it."

He sat down in a chair and gestured for her to do the same. She obliged. He opened up the container the soup was in.

"Are you up to eating this?" he asked, looking at her.

"I don't know, but I'll try. I haven't eaten anything all day. I'm starving."

"Why don't you take one last flush before you eat?" he suggested. "You know, so your mouth is… well… clean."

She nodded and went to the bathroom, shutting the door and leaning over the toilet. She waited for the vomit that soon came. This time, there was only a little trickle of it.

_Maybe the flu's letting up, _she thought hopefully.

She rinsed her mouth with water and returned to Will. He had placed a bowl of the soup at her place. He looked up and smiled at her.

"Hi," he greeted, his dimples appearing and small wrinkles crinkling in the corners of his eyes.

God, he was cute.

Shelby laughed softly. "Hi."

He sat in the chair opposite of her, his own portion of soup in front of him. "Dig in."

She took a small, tentative sip. Its warmth flooded through her body, warming her from the inside out. It was good. Very good. She ate a whole spoonful. Then another. And another.

"Wow, Will," she praised him. "This is-" another bite, "this is really-" another one, "really good! I-" and another, "love it."

Will stared at her from across the table, his first spoonful frozen halfway in between his bowl and his mouth. He put the spoon down.

"I can see that. Thank you. I can't take any credit for it, though. My mom created it."

She nodded, her head bobbing up and down over her bowl. "Well tell her that I'll give her free vocal lessons if she makes this for me again."

He frowned slightly. "Maybe you shouldn't eat so much so fast," he warned carefully. "I mean, your stomach…"

She stopped. "Oh. I guess you're right. I'm sorry. I just got a little carried away. It's just so good."

"I'm glad you like it. I just don't want to be the reason you throw up."

She looked at him pointedly. "Gee, thanks for your concern," she remarked sarcastically.

"I'm sorry, that came out wrong. What I meant to say is that I hope you don't puke again and get well."

She smiled. "That's a little better."

He laughed and leaned in.

"What're you doing?" she asked a little nervously, taken back by surprise.

"I'm going to kiss you," he told informed her, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Are you kidding me? With my nose all red and my eyes all puffy? I look like a mess!"

"Shelby, I don't care about that. You look great, if you don't mind me saying. Now I'm going to kiss you."

He leaned in closer. She let their lips get just centimeters away from each other before she whispered.

"You should probably know that I just threw up about ten minutes ago," she warned.

He drew back a bit. "Oh. All right then. Thanks for the warning."

"So you're not going to kiss me?" she wondered disappointedly, pouting teasingly.

He so desperately wanted to kiss that pout right off of her, but he settled on planting a juicy kiss on her temple. He pulled back a little and smiled, his eyes twinkling. She smiled back, enjoying the way his face lit up when she gave him a quick peck to his cheek.

"That works with me," she informed him, earning a laugh.

They finished eating dinner, discussing about their interests, hobbies, childhoods, and families. They both knew what it was like to be turned down from Broadway. It was a nice, easy, casual conversation. There were no awkward silences or pauses, unlike when Will talked to Emma or Terri.

"How do you feel?" Will asked Shelby after they were done.

She thought for a moment. "I'm good. I feel a lot better."

"Are you up to a movie?"

She shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

He showed her their options. "Let's see… well, we have Enchanted, RENT, or Ask the Dust."

"I've already seen Ask the Dust and Enchanted, so let's watch RENT."

Will gave her a questioning look. "You've seen Enchanted?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look. I saw it when I was looking after my cousin's little girl. I personally felt really bad for Nancy. I thought she should've gotten with Robert, not Edward. I don't know, Giselle just bugs me for some reason. She butt into Robert's life and meddled with him. It's not Nancy or Edward's fault. Damn princess had to be cute and listen to the ugly hag. Hasn't she ever seen Snow White?"

He just smiled, amused.

She stopped her rant and glanced at him sharply. "Quit _looking _at me like that."

He held up his hands as if surrendering. "Hey, don't mind me. You just look so hot when you get all worked up. I had no idea you had such strong opinions on the movie."

"Just shut up and put in RENT."

They walked into the living room. He inserted the disc into the player and joined Shelby on the couch, draping his arm casually around her shoulders and pulling her close. They snuggled close together, and she rested her head on his shoulder. He brushed her hair out of her face and leaned down, tilting her face up to him. He placed a feather like kiss on her lips.

"Will, I don't want you to get sick," she whispered.

"I don't care," he mumbled honestly.

He kissed her again, and she kissed him back. He moved his hands to her bare thighs. She curled her legs around her waist in response. He moved his lips to the corner of her mouth. She let out a soft sigh of contempt escape her parted lips before his covered hers again, kissing her even harder than before.

But then she heard the first note of RENT's opening song, "Seasons of Love," begin to play, and she wiggled out from underneath him. He groaned from the lack of contact. She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, but I wanna see this movie."

"Okay, that's fine."

They resumed their old position and watched the opening credits. When Idina Menzel's name appeared on the screen, Shelby glanced at Will.

"Hey, I didn't know she was in this. She gets around. Isn't Kurt like, in love with her or something?"

"Yeah, he is. Between you and I, I kind of am too. She's my celebrity crush. Too bad she's married to Taye Diggs."

She smirked. "Aw, that's cute."

"So who's yours?"

"I don't have one."

He laughed. "Oh, come on. Don't lie. Everybody has a celebrity crush. Even if it's a girl crush. Spill the beans."

"Fine. I have a crush on Matthew Morrison."

"Ah, from _Hairspray. _Good choice."

"Could we not talk about this?"

They didn't speak another word until the Tango Maureen sequence. It was one of Will's favorite scenes. They watched the room full of tons of people dancing the tango. All were dressed in black. All except for one woman: Maureen Johnson. She wore a bright red dress that made her stand out from the crowd. The dress looked stunning on her, as if it were made for her and only her. She looked downright seductive as she danced around.

"That's Idina Menzel," Will informed Shelby.

"Wow. She's beautiful," she commented.

"I know." She looked at him. "What? Even you have to admit that she's pretty sexy."

She sighed. "I suppose. That doesn't mean I want to hear that from my boyfriend, though."

He hugged her tighter. "Oh, you know that I think you're prettier. She's not even half as good-looking as you."

Shelby rolled her eyes but snuggled even closer to him. "No, I get it. She's gorgeous. I'll admit that. I'll say she's tied with me. But no more."

He kissed the top of her head. "Of course not."

They watched in silence until Benny was shown once again. Shelby let out a low rumble.

"Mmm, I wouldn't mind a drink from that tall glass of chocolate milk."

He stared at her, unsure he had heard her correctly. "What'd you say?"

"He's hot."

"Um," was his awkward response.

"What? Even you have to admit that he's pretty hot," she shot his old words back at him.

_Two can play that game, _he thought to himself. "That doesn't mean I want to hear that from my girlfriend, though."

She smiled a little. "Touché."

They continued to watch the movie, occasionally engaging in playful banter. Shelby got tired towards the end from fatigue. She blinked heavily and shook her head, trying desperately to stay awake and finish RENT. Will could feel her weight sag more and more on his side as she slowly teetered on the edge of slumber.

"Hey, are you tired?" he murmured, gently touching her shoulder.

She shot up and sat straight again. "What? No. I'm up. I'm up."

He stroked her hair. "Are you sure? We can always finish it another time. It's no big deal."

"No, Will. I'm going to watch this movie in its entirety today- _now- _if it's the last thing I do," she replied stubbornly.

He smiled, loving her fierceness. "Okay. Whatever you say."

Yet fifteen minutes later, she was asleep, leaning against him. He smiled and turned off the television. Shelby woke up and blinked at him with her big, pretty eyes.

"What's going on? Is it over?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah," he fibbed, figuring it was for her advantage. "It's over. You should probably go to sleep now."

"M'kay," she mumbled, not energetic enough- and not really wanting to- resist.

She lay out fully on the couch, leaning back into his arms. He wrapped them around her tightly and rested his head on the pillow just inches above her head, relishing being so close to her. He leaned over a bit and found her already sound asleep, her chest rising up and down softly. He loved holding her in his arms, like she was his and only his. She was so beautiful, especially when she was asleep. He couldn't believe he experienced her with her guard down like this. She looked so calm. His lips brushed across her cheek, careful not to wake her.

"Good night, Shelby," Will whispered before closing his eyes and beginning to drift off into a peaceful sleep as well.

Shelby's eyes flitted up towards him, having been woken by the sound of his voice and the feel of his lips. _Good night, Will, _she echoed in her mind.

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**Well, did I satisfy you all? Please review, and I might be persuaded to try to write faster. :)**

**Oh, and a side note, this is now on temporary hiatus. I don't have time to write any of this anymore, and I ran out of chapters. Sorry! I'll try to write more as soon as I can, but it might not be for a while.**


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